Rick Scott will challenge Mitch McConnell for Senate GOP leader - Axios

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) stands down Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) astatine a Senate GOP enactment quality conference. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) announced astatine a closed-door league luncheon connected Tuesday that helium plans to situation Mitch McConnell for Senate GOP leader, aggregate radical person told Axios.

Why it matters: The announcement came arsenic Senate Republicans were gathering to analyse their underwhelming show successful the midterm elections, during which they failed to summation capable seats to instrumentality backmost a bulk successful the chamber.

• Scott's spokesperson McKinley Lewis and 2 different sources acquainted with the announcement confirmed the program to Axios.
• Scott, president of Senate Republicans' run limb and a subordinate of Senate Republican leadership, has openly feuded with McConnell for months implicit differing strategies for the midterm elections.
• Scott is besides 1 of respective blimpish senators who person called connected McConnell to delay the Senate GOP's enactment elections until aft the Georgia runoff connected Dec. 6.

Between the lines: Senate Republicans are looking for whom to blasted aft losing their accidental to reclaim power.

• Despite the challenge, McConnell has repeatedly maintained he's assured helium has the votes to beryllium re-elected arsenic leader.

The Trump factor: Former President Trump, meanwhile, has been pushing Scott to tally against McConnell, and has tried to marque McConnell the autumn feline for the Republicans' inability to regain the majority.

• Trump, who plans to denote Tuesday nighttime his plans to tally for president successful 2024, is expected to thin hard connected his Senate allies to backmost Scott implicit McConnell.

Yes, but: Trump's sway has noticeably faltered since past Tuesday's elections, with galore apical Republicans distancing themselves from the erstwhile president aft respective cardinal GOP candidates hand-selected by Trump lost.

What he's saying: In a missive to his Senate Republican colleagues, Scott wrote:

• "I’m penning to you contiguous due to the fact that I judge it’s clip for the Senate Republican Conference to beryllium acold much bold and resolute than we person been successful the past. We indispensable commencement saying what we are for, not conscionable what we are against."
• "There is simply a Republican Party that is live and good successful communities crossed America. It is clip determination is 1 successful Washington, D.C., too. That is wherefore I americium moving to beryllium Republican Leader."

Meanwhile, McConnell said Tuesday: "I deliberation it's beauteous evident we whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium voting tomorrow," adding: "I person the votes. I volition beryllium elected. The lone contented is whether we bash it sooner oregon later."

The backdrop: Scott's determination earlier this twelvemonth to merchandise a multipoint Republican agenda that featured caller taxes infuriated McConnell, who swiftly publically rejected it. The program yet provided extended onslaught fodder that President Biden leveraged successful enactment of his party.

• McConnell, meanwhile, has agelong believed successful focusing connected Democrats' shortcomings during elections and opposed putting retired a legislative plan up of past week's midterms.
• Scott is present utilizing that determination arsenic a cardinal tenet of wherefore helium should beryllium made person implicit McConnell.

Go deeper:

• Some successful GOP instrumentality purpose astatine McConnell aft Senate loss
• Inside the GOP's huffy scramble for midterms credit

Editor's note: This communicative has been updated with a connection from Mitch McConnell.